The Christmas Visit
by o0Winter0o
Summary: Jack, Will, and Elizabeth pay a very special visit during the Holidays to the one thing that means more to Jack than the Black Pearl Jack's mentally challanged daughter, Emily Anne. First fic, so be nice! Takes place before DMC. Please R&R!


A/N: I don't own_ Pirates of the Caribbean _or the characters from the movie. The character I _do _own is Emily-Anne. Enjoy!

_The Christmas Visit _

Christmas day in the Caribbean set in warm and sunny. The early morning sky was a kaleidoscope of pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows. The wind quietly and calmly blew, gently brushing the leaves of palm trees and other exotic plants. It floated into the sea and softly nudged the _Black Pearl _on smoothly in the blue waves of the ocean.

Up on the poop-deck, the notorious pirate Jack Sparrow was steering the wheel in a bored manner. To his displeasure, his crew had abandoned him for the Holidays to celebrate with their own families, leaving him with Will Turner, a blacksmith from Port Royal, and Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter. They had been courting each other ever since Jack had gotten back the _Pearl _from another notorious pirate, Jack's ex-first mate, Captain Hector Barbossa. It disgusted him, the way they would toy with one another. His annoyance would grow to such a point that at times, he was very close to lashing at them to 'get a room.'

Just then, Jack heard the muffled sound of footsteps from below him. Looking over, he saw Will appear on the deck, his shirt unbuttoned and a stupid, dazed grin on his face. Jack sneered and rolled his eyes.

"Nice midriff, Will," he said loudly and obnoxiously. Will looked up, saw Jack, and immediately turned scarlet and began buttoning up his shirt. Jack heard a second pair of footsteps, and Elizabeth walked out onto the deck, her light under-shift blowing in the breeze. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and noticed Jack was fully awake.

"Happy Christmas, Jack," she yawned again. "I didn't know you were awake yet."

"Well, who was steering the ship all night, eh?" Jack said smartly. With his one hand on the wheel, he reached inside his dirty overcoat, and pulled out his legendary compass. Opening it, he looked at it, occasionally slapping it with frustration.

"Do we have a heading, Jack?" Will called up to him. Jack finally made up his mind to where the compass was pointing, shut it, and put it back in his coat.

"I think we're somewhere near Kingston, not that far away from Port Royal," he said back.

"Why are we going to Kingston?" Elizabeth asked, sounding curious.

Jack became annoyed. "Christmas business."

"Are you sure? I don't want anyone to recognize you." Elizabeth replied, concerned.

Jack's irritability grew. "Don't worry 'bout that, lassie. I know some mates up there who'd be happy to see me."

Later on that morning, the _Black Pearl _finally docked on a empty pier in Kingston, Jamaica. As Jack dropped anchor and laid out the gangplank, Will and Elizabeth appeared, fully dressed. As they walked down to the dock, a man who looked like was in charge of the pier approached them. His stern face suddenly changed into a smile as he saw Jack.

"Ah, Jack!" he said, walking briskly over to him.

"Rowan," Jack nodded to him.

"Happy Christmas, mate!" the man named Rowan chirped cheerfully.

"Happy Christmas to you too," Jack pulled out three shillings and handed to him. Rowan examined them before storing them in his jacket and straightened up.

"So, what's your state of business today, Jack?" Rowan asked.

"Not business, today, Rowan, I'm visiting," Jack said shortly.

"Aye. And who would you be visiting?" Rowan asked.

Jack rolled his eyes and shifted his jaw. "Who do you think I'm visiting?" he said, sounding clearly annoyed. Rowan's eyes widened.

"_Oh." _He suddenly seemed to get what Jack was trying to say. Will and Elizabeth, who were shunned aside from them, looked at each other, puzzled. Who were they exactly taking about?

When they looked back at them, Rowan's look he had on his face had disappeared. Instead, he pulled out a sign-in book and asked Jack, "Same name as always, Jack?"

Jack nodded. "As always, Rowan."

He then turned to Elizabeth and Will, and motioned them to follow him. "You two–come with me."

Both now interested, they obeyed and followed him, leaving the docks and Rowan. In town, they saw that it was deserted.

"Where is everyone?" Elizabeth looked behind her back, double checking no one was behind them.

Jack shrugged. "In church, probably. Or in their houses. But never mind that now, we need to get a move on. Handsomely, now."

Jack's pace suddenly quickened, and Elizabeth and Will jogged behind him to keep up. After walking from street to street, alleyway from alleyway, they finally stopped at a two-story brick house. It would of been a decent-looking house, except the paint on the front door was peeling and a shutter from one of the upstairs windows was hanging by only one hinge.

"Jack, who's–?" Elizabeth started, but Jack snapped his fingers to silence her as he knocked on the door. She grew quiet at once and shot a glance at Will. He looked back and shrugged his shoulders.

Then, the door opened. Will and Elizabeth turned their heads and saw an elderly old man emerge from the house. He had salt-and-pepper colored hair, a wrinkled face, and bright brown eyes that looked exactly like Jack's.

"_Jack!" _the old man cried happily, securing Jack in a one-armed embrace. Jack smiled and hugged the old man back. Will and Elizabeth looked at each other, their eyebrows raised. So this man must be Jack's father.

"Come in, come in!" Mr. Sparrow stepped aside and motioned them in with his cane. Jack nodded his head over to the door, and timidly, Will and Elizabeth stepped inside.

Inside was warm and smelled like freshly brewed coffee. Elizabeth smiled as Mr. Sparrow and Jack walked from behind them.

"I thought you were not able to visit us this time, Jack," Mr. Sparrow beckoned them to sit down on the frail-looking, wooden furniture that surrounded the fireplace.

"Of course I visit, Dad. What kind of a son do you think of me as?" Jack plopped into a chair. Will and Elizabeth settled in two chairs next to him. Mr. Sparrow, however, remained standing in front of the fire. His eyes slid over to Will, and he grinned.

"Ah, that must be Bootstrap's son, are you not?" he asked Will. Will blushed, looked down, and mumbled, "Yes, Sir."

"I remember your father well, boy. He was a fine lad." His eyes suddenly locked onto Elizabeth. "Now, who's this bonnie lass, here?"

"I'm Elizabeth Swann, Sir," Elizabeth said politely.

"The Governor's daughter?" Mr. Sparrow squinted his eyes.

"Yes, Sir." Elizabeth started to blush as well.

Jack sensed their embarrassment, and started to change the subject. "Um, Dad, where's Emily-Anne?"

Will and Elizabeth looked up, even more puzzled. Mr. Sparrow opened his mouth to speak, but it was interrupted when they all heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Jack turned to his head and grinned. "Ah, here she comes," he said softly.

Will and Elizabeth turned their heads to see Emily-Anne. She was a young, dark-haired girl who looked around the age of thirteen. But there was something very wrong with the way she looked; her brown eyes were slanted, and they were specked with white spots around the iris. She was very small for her age, and her neck was short, with the bridge of her nose flat. When she saw Jack, her mouth formed into a crooked smile, exposing some missing teeth.

"Dad-dy! Dad-dy!" she cried. Her voice was rather slurred and on the raspy side, and it sounded like she didn't quite enunciate her words correctly. Jack got out of his seat, got on his knees, and opened his arms wide. Emily-Anne ran awkwardly into them, and he embraced her, rocking back and forth.

"How have you been, Emily-Anne?" Jack asked her in a slow voice.

"I drwaw!" she said, lifting up her head from his chest.

"Oh, really? And what did you draw?" Jack asked her, smiling.

Emily-Anne got out from her father's arms. "Wait!" she said, and she went up the stairs again. Jack straightened up and turned to them. Both Elizabeth and Will had their mouths hanging open, staring at Jack was disbelief.

"Jack, you didn't tell us about Emily-Anne!" Elizabeth said when she finally got the feeling back in her jaw.

"I don't really tell anyone about her, no," Jack said. He sounded tired.

"How long has she been like this?" Will asked Jack.

"Since she was born." Mr. Sparrow said sadly.

"Where's her mother?" Elizabeth asked in a hushed voice.

"Dead." Jack said shortly. He turned around and smiled as Emily-Anne came back down, a picture of shakily-drawn flowers in her hand. He gathered her up again and took the picture in one of his hands while he held Emily-Anne in the other.

"Oh, Emily-Anne, this is such a pretty picture!" Jack said, sounding falsely excited. "You're on your way of becoming a artist, love."

"You drwaw!" Emily-Anne prodded Jack's cheek and began to giggle.

"No no no no no, I'm not a good drawer," Jack said, setting her down on the floor. Just then, a puff of fur dashed across the room and began circling Emily-Anne's ankles. She giggled again.

"Kit-ty!" she said, bending down and petting the ginger-colored cat. Jack's face contorted in disgust at it, but he said, "A kitty? Did Pop-pop give you him?" Jack shot a glare at his father, who gave him a apologetic smile.

"Yes," Emily-Anne looked up at her father. "Holds it?"

"No, Emily-Anne. I don't really like kitties," Jack replied.

Emily-Anne pouted. "Ooo-kays, then."

After a while, everyone seemed to relax with one another. Will, Elizabeth, and Emily-Anne were playing with Kitty in front of the fire, while Mr. Sparrow and Jack sat at the kitchen, having a drink.

"How is she?" Jack asked his father. Mr. Sparrow swallowed a mouthful of ale before answering. He looked grave as he did.

"Her health's declined, Jack. She doesn't have that much time." He took another shaky sip of ale.

Jack went pale. "It's her heart, ain't it?"

"Not only her heart, Jack, but her blood's been acting funny too." Mr. Sparrow shook his head.

Jack gulped and took another mouthful of rum. Looking at his daughter once again, he saw the dark circles that surrounded her eyes, and how thin she suddenly looked. He knew Emily-Anne would not live a very long life since she was born, and now, her body was finally going against her. To him, it was too soon. He shook his head, and chugged down the rest of the rum. Setting the bottle on the table, he asked loudly, "Emily-Anne, do you remember your ABC's?"

They spent the rest of the day playing with Kitty, playing games, taking her on board the _Black Pearl, _and just laughing with her and acting silly. Finally, the sun began to set, and Jack, Will, and Elizabeth had to go. They all said goodbye to Mr. Sparrow and gave Emily-Anne hugs before leaving. Jack tried to give her back her drawing of flowers, but Emily-Anne refused. "Yous have it," she said, pushing it back to Jack. Jack stared at it for a moment, then shrugged, folded it, and pocketed it. Giving her one last hug, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth left and began their way back to the docks.

"That was the best Christmas ever, Jack," Elizabeth said later on that night after they weighed anchor. Jack turned the wheel in one direction and pursed his lips.

"Quit lying, I know you two hated it," Jack replied.

"We're not lying to you, Jack. Emily-Anne was really sweet. And I had no idea you were so warm to someone like her in her state." Will said truthfully.

"She's the only thing I have that's more precious than the _Pearl,_ mate," Jack muttered. Will and Elizabeth looked at Jack with shock. Jack turned pink.

"But if you tell anyone about what happened today, I'm going to kill both of you," Jack said gruffly, sounding like his old self once again.

x.X.x.

On her fourteenth birthday, Emily-Anne died. The crew, Will, Elizabeth, and Jack headed back to Kingston for the funeral. The crew had their heads' bent down in respect as Will held a sobbing Elizabeth in his arms. Mr. Sparrow had one arm around his grief-stricken son throughout the whole service and the burial. Before the grave-diggers began burying, the crowd was allowed to drop one lily into her grave. With a shaking hand, Jack tossed the pink flower in and watch it hit the cedar coffin, mixing in with the different kinds of lilies that were thrown in there. Standing back, he silently watched with the rest of the crowd as the grave diggers piled dirt on top of her coffin, until the grave was completely filled. With a broken heart, Jack lead the crew, Will, and Elizabeth back to the _Black Pearl _to get some rest before sailing again the next day.

Later that night, Jack returned to Emily-Anne's grave. Someone had laid a bouquet of flowers on her grave. Ignoring it, he kneeled down in front of the gravestone and began tracing the words that were craved into it.

_In loving memory of Emily-Anne Sparrow _

_Who died at the age of 14 years _

_Born on the 21st of March, 1716 _

_Died on the 21st of March, 1730 _

_May our special little angel rest in peace_

_For Eternity in Heaven _

Jack smiled. Emily-Anne was an angel. God had granted him an angel, even though he had sinned and became a pirate. A little angel sent right from Heaven, and all Jack did was push her away and let _his _father take care of her. Jack blinked away the stinging feeling in his eyes. Standing up and brushing off the dirt, he turned around and began to walk away. He put his fists into the pockets of his jacket, and he felt something in them. Contorting his eyebrows, he took his hands out and opened the piece of paper that he found.

It was Emily-Anne's picture of flowers.

Jack stood there, feeling a bit dumbstruck. Was it coincidence that he just found this in front of his daughter's grave?

His question was answered when he heard Emily-Anne's voice say from behind him, "Dad-dy?"

He turned around, expecting to see her there. Instead, he was facing her grave with no one else around it but himself. His heart bursted with grief and panic as he looked around, sure to find that it was someone playing a trick. When he realized he was all alone, he turned back to Emily-Anne's gravestone.

"Daddy has to go now, Emily-Anne," he whispered to it. "Don't worry, love. I'll come back soon."

He half-expected to get an answer. All he got was a gentle breeze blowing against his cheeks. He turned around, pocketed Emily-Anne's picture again, and began to walk away. Before he reached the end of the cemetery, he smiled. He couldn't help it. He had an angel watching over him now.

An angel named Emily-Anne.

**The End **

A/N: This story is dedicated to four people I hold dearly to my heart; my Discovery buddies, Dani and Kayla, my five-year-old cousin, Nicky, and one of my best friends, Meg.

Also, I'm sorry if Jack seemed a little out of character in this story. Put please review, pretty please! Thanks!!


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